Jay Rodriguez is back — and on course to fulfil his impossible World Cup dream.

That is the verdict of his West Brom manager Alan Pardew, who believes his striker — after destroying Liverpool in the FA Cup — is showing the sort of form to catapult him back into the England squad.

TV pundit Steven Gerrard insisted after Saturday night's upset at Anfield that Rodriguez is back to the level that won him a cap in 2013, when he was a Southampton player.

And Baggies boss Pardew added: “It’s nice of Steven to say that. Jay is definitely starting to find his feet.

Saturday's brace at Anfield means Rodriguez has scored five in his last six games (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

“I don’t know if he is at that level yet, but if he plays like that until the end of the season then he is going to have a shout of getting into that England squad.

“He was terrific against Liverpool. He’s got that ability to produce a class finish. He has an assured confidence which I like about him.

“He doesn’t get flustered or frustrated, and he deserved the man of the match award.”

Rodriguez’s international dreams were destroyed by a crippling knee injury he picked up just months after his debut, which sidelined him for 14 months and arguably cost him a place in the squad Roy Hodgson took to the last World Cup in Brazil.

Rodriguez has not been able to add to his sole cap against Chile in November 2013 (Image: Getty)

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The striker, now 28, has fought valiantly to get back to his best, and now finally seems to be approaching the form which had inspired the interest of the big six clubs when he emerged at Saints.

And he revealed, as Russia 2018 looms, he still dreams of picking up the pieces of his England career: “You’d be lying if you were a player and never thought there is a World Cup at the end of the season and you weren’t looking towards that.

The striker was in contention to go to World Cup 2014 before a major injury in the April (Image: Reuters)

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“You’ve got to aspire to the highest level you can and that is representing your country at a World Cup. For me that is an amazing dream. To get there I have to continue to work hard.

“It’s amazing Steven Gerrard said that. He is a legend and you look up to players like that. I’m really chuffed about that.

“But I can only do what I can affect and that is playing games, training every day and trying to improve points of my game that I can. I have a lot of improving still to do and I will continue to do that throughout my career.”